A Good Soldier
II Timothy 2:1-13
This Tuesday is a special day.
Our nation marks this day as a special day of remembrance and honor for those who have served our great nation in the Armed Forces.
The date is significant – November 11.
On that date in 1919 the Armistice went into effect that ended the carnage of World War I.
They called it “the war to end all wars”, which has sadly proven untrue.
The agreement was made to end the fighting in a railroad car in France at 5:00 a.m.
It went into effect as at 11:00 a.m. local time.
2,738 men died in that last day before the firing ceased.
Armistice Day become Veterans Day in 1954, thanks to the work of WWII veteran Raymond Weeks and congressman Ed Rees.
Since then, this day has been a federal holiday honoring the best of us who serve our nation.
Well, technically it was in October seven times in the 1970’s thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Acts of 1971, but who would remember that, right?
In the nearly 250 years that America has existed, there have been an estimated 18 million that have served.
1.3 million of these gave, in Lincoln’s immortal phrasing, “the last full measure of devotion”.
We honor these on Memorial Day each year.
Another 1.4 million of these have been wounded in their service.
Some 40,000 plus are still classified as Missing In Action.
This week, we honor those who have made it possible that we may enjoy “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in the greatest nation on that has ever existed.
I am fascinated by military history and the experiences of those who have served.
There is a retired soldier, John Campbell, that is taking classes at the Norris Seminary right now.
Bro. Stewart had him speak in chapel this past week.
On Thursday when I was there, he basically just told stories about his time in the Army.
Can I tell you the one thing I took of that time?
I AM GLAD I DID NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT A SOLDIER DOES!
I don’t want any drill sergeant in my face.
I don’t want to do hundreds of sit ups.
I don’t want to spend nights out in the field on maneuvers.
I don’t want to be in a place where the locals want me dead.
Being a soldier is not for sissies!
It is not for the fainthearted or the cowardly.
It is for those that can endure hardness and face the enemy with unfailing devotion to their duty.
That is just the point Paul is trying to get across in our text.
He is telling his protégé Timothy that in serving God you need to be like a good soldier.
When it says a “good soldier” that is not talking about someone who looks good in a dress uniform.
It is the type of soldier who knows the long marches, the sleepless nights on watch, and the obstacles that are only overcome through sheer grit.
It is the type of soldier that has trained for countless hours so to be prepared in the split second that marks the divide between death and victory their reflexes fire without thought.
It is the type of soldier that bears the scars of the battles they have fought and counts each as nothing for the victory they won.
If you will bear with me this morning, I want to examine some of the elements of what it means to be a good soldier in the army of Lord.
I. A Good Soldier Has a Good Commander
We are not talking about fighting or suffering for nothing here.
We have a purpose and a cause.
We have our commander, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is none greater.
There is a legend about Alexander the Great that is likely not true but is still believable.
It is said that he faced off against a king that ruled over a walled city.
Alexander told them to surrender, but the king knew his position was too strong for Alexander to take without great investment of time and resources.
The king refused.
Alexander gave a command and some of his men started marching single file toward a cliff.
The first never slowed as he stepped off the cliff and plummeted to his death.
Neither did the second, or the third until ten men had fallen.
The king, realizing the devotion of Alexander’s men to their commander, knew in that instant that he had no hope in surviving unless through surrender.
He did and the soldiers were ordered to halt their fatal march.
Too many times, we think we are in command.
We receive orders from our commander, and we want to negotiate.
We want to pick and choose the ones that cause use the least amount of effort or discomfort.
Friends, you are in the great spiritual battle whether you want to be or not.
You enlist on the Lord’s side when you get saved.
You join a local regiment when you join a church.
You owe your allegiance to the Captain who has never known a loss.
He defeated sin, death, and the grave.
He has never lost a battle and never lost a soldier.
Take hope, comfort, and courage in Christ as your leader.
II. A Good Soldier Had Good Equipment
Often a battle does not turn on the skills of its commanders or the fierceness of its fighters.
No, one side just has bigger guns and more of them than the other side.
Any historian will tell you that one of the main reasons the South lost the Civil War is because they did not have the industrial and manufacturing strength of the North.
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, they did so with rapid speed and relying on their seven panzer division with over 2,000 tanks.
Poland had half as many, most of which were woefully outdated.
They were still transitioning from horse cavalry to mechanized warfare.
At the Battle of Krojanty on September 1, 1939, the Polish leader saw an opportunity to for a surprise attack against some German infantry.
At 1900 hours, about 250 horse cavalrymen charged the Germans.
The initial attack was successful, but the Germans reacted quickly as armored reconnaissance vehicles responded.
The exposed cavalry lost 1/3 of their men before they could return to the Polish lines.
The lesson: horse cavalry may outmatch infantry on foot but is no match for mechanized armor with machine guns.
The better equipment wins.
We could turn over to Ephesians 6 here and go through the list of the armor given to us.
Every piece is important, but I want to highlight a couple.
We have the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
There is nothing greater than the Word of God, by it was the world made and through it we have the mind of God revealed to us.
Use it wisely.
I also want to point out that directly after the list of equipment is prayer.
Paul says, “take the shield, and helmet, sword, but here is what you do: PRAY!”
There is no greater ability we have than to call on the almighty God to intervene on our behalf.
III. A Good Solder Has A Good Focus
A soldier must be on his guard and ready for action whenever the command comes.
He cannot tell the enemy that it is his day off so he cannot fight today.
We see this focus in the ability that he has to endure hardness in vs. 3 of our text.
Weather does not stop him.
Unpopularity does not stop him.
He is focused on the mission no matter the cost.
I love the story about Rodger Young in WWII.
He had lost some of his hearing as a young man after hitting his head in a basketball game.
He was the shortest man in his company and had to wear glasses to see.
He had been raised to a sergeant and a squad leader, but as they shipped out for battle in the Pacific he was afraid his disabilities would hurt his squad.
Young requested a demotion to private, which his commander granted.
Nine days later on July 31, 1943, he was on patrol on New Georgia in the Solomon Isalnds.
His 20-man patrol was ambushed by the Japanese with a hidden machine gun, killing two men immediately.
Young was wounded in the initial attack and ignored an order to retreat.
He crawled toward the enemy and was able to silence the machine gun nest with grenades.
In doing so he was mortally wounded and died on the battlefield.
For his actions, the Medal of Honor was presented to his family.
If anyone had an excuse to give in to their circumstances it would have been Roger Young.
But his focus saw beyond his deafness and bad eyesight, saw beyond the danger and his own wounds, and just saw what had to be done.
Bob Jones Sr. said: “Every person is either master or mastered. He is either a victor or a victim. He is either a conqueror or he is conquered. What are you?”
Through Christ, we can endure and see victory.
IV. A Good Soldier Has Good Reason to Fight
The best soldiers have a reason to fight.
This is why history is filled with stories about mercenaries that flee in things get dicey.
They are only in it for the money.
But let a many fight for the defense of his home and family, that man will fight on even though his blood is drained and his heart is stopped.
I remember the days after 9/11, and being 18 at the time there was a genuine concern that maybe there would be a draft.
There at Bible college, we asked ourselves if we should wait for a draft or if we should enlist.
I thought I knew the course of my life, that I would finish Bible college and go in to the ministry, but there for some days in the chaotic uncertainty I was not sure if that would happen.
Some enlisted because they wanted to avenge the evil of 9/11.
Some enlisted because they wanted to prevent another 9/11.
Some enlisted because they saw our civilization and liberty at stake.
I am thankful I did not have to make that decision at that time.
Would I have served? Definitely.
Would I have had a good reason to fight? I had many.
Would I have been a good soldier? I highly doubt it.
I have long ago determined that for three things I will readily lay down my life: My faith, my family, and my nation.
In the Christian army we have plenty of reasons to fight:
Look down at the last verses of our text and I will give you a few.
2Ti 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
2Ti 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
2Ti 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
First, we have the Lord Jesus Christ.
My love and devotion to my Savior impels me to carry on.
Second, we have Gospel.
I must carry on so that another and another may have opportunity to hear that Good News before it is too late.
Third, we have Word of God.
The commands and promises were good when they were written and they are good for today.
The examples of people in Scriptures give me courage that I too can see God work in mighty ways.
Fourth, we have the elect.
This is the Bible term for all those who will respond to the Gospel and accept it.
I must carry on because of the brothers and sisters in Christ who rely on me.
Fifth, we have a victory at the end – “we shall also reign with him”
Ours is the only war in history that the outcome is already known.
I carry on, not to obtain that victory, but to be worthy of the glory that awaits the child of God.
Conclusion:
- Do be overwhelmed by despair.
- It looks dark out in this world, but we already know the end.
- Satan cannot take our salvation from us.
- Satan cannot keep Christ from ruling.
- The key to being a good soldier is to prepare to be one.
- Soldiers are made.
- In training.
- They know what to do before they need to know it.
- In life experience
- Country marksmen like Alvin York
- Get on the winning side.
- Rally to the winning side!